Safe Bet
by Literaturefangirl
Summary: A clairvoyant Atreus uses his visions of race horses to earn money, uncovering a secret about his mother along the way.
1. The Races

As Atreus half-heartedly listened to his history teacher talking about the role of the cavalry during the first World War, his attention drifted to the girl with fiery red hair sitting in front of him. Her name was Angrboda.

They shared two classes and had worked together on group projects in the past. Possessing a bright mind and a compassionate heart, Angrboda would explain things to Atreus when he struggled with parts of an assignment, until he fully understood it.

And from that time spent together, her kindly nature had already begun to capture his heart.

Having been fortunate enough to be studying in the library at the right time. Atreus had overheard that her birthday was coming up and wanted to repay her kindness. As his heart warmed at the thought of giving his crush a present, five names flashed in his mind accompanied by a series of images; Pebbles, Goldrush, Firedrinker, Green Victory, Thunderwings and Loki. The blur of horses racing on a track, an old bearded man and a pile of bank notes.

Gifted with a clairvoyant sense, Atreus would sometimes receive dreams and visions about events in his life in the near future. At times it could be an important conversation he would have or a glimpse at some questions and the grade he would receive on a test, but his visions had never been this specific.

Taking a train to the city to get to the nearest race course, Atreus sat on the train seats with a nervous, but excited feeling in his stomach. As Atreus imagined all the things he'd be able to buy with the money he was about to win, the thought of his allowance on the line if he lost crept into his mind.

If he lost the only money he had on him, he would have to start over his saving from the beginning.

Reassuring himself with the fact that his visions had never given him cause for doubt, Atreus cast aside his fears and got off the train.

Walking until he reached the race track, Atreus entered the betting office, when the feeling of doubt returned. So close to enacting his plan, but with little courage to go through with it, Atreus got in line nonetheless. Hoping that watching others bet would restore his conviction, Atreus asked the man in front of him, which horse he was betting on.

"Hey, who are you going to bet on?"

"Black Breath, but aren't you a little young to be betting on horses, lad?" The bearded man looked over his shoulder and answered with a Scottish brogue.

"Nah!" Atreus replied, trying to sound confident and watched as the man, who looked like he had seen better days, made a bet. Knowing that the man would be back for more, Atreus left the queue without making a bet and waited for the man to return.

"Tough luck with Black Breath! I'd bet on Pebbles next, if I was you. I'm really lucky when it comes to guessing things." Atreus advised him, testing out his newfound confidence.

"In that case, why don't _you_ make a bet, little brother?"

"Because I'm scared." Atreus confessed. Acting out a lie to earn the man's sympathy, because even if he was certain that the horse would win, it didn't hurt to have a safety net with someone else's money.

"Tell you what, I'll make a bet with your horse and if it wins we'll split the profit."

"Deal!" Atreus shook the man's hand and the two headed to the seating area.

Taking their seats in the bleachers, Atreus and his 'partner in crime' watched as the slow to start Pebbles began gaining speed.

"Maybe there's more to your prediction than meets the eye!" The man remarked. You got that right. Atreus smirked.

As the last leg of the race approached, Pebbles was tied neck to neck with another horse for first place. Getting one last burst of speed, Pebbles passed his competitor and won first place.

"Do you have another horse in mind, Lucky Boy?" The man asked, giving Atreus a nickname in the absence of an introduction.

"My name's Atreus."

"Mimir."

"You should bet on Goldrush."

And so the process continued, until the last horse Atreus had written in his journal; Loki had won. Netting them both a great sum of money.

"Are you sure your middle name isn't Lucky?" Mimir asked. Amazed at how much money they had amassed. He'd had a few lucky breaks, sure and more than his fair share of failures when it came to betting, but Atreus' ability to pick out winners was almost supernatural.

"My middle name is Loki, actually."

"What a coincidence! I don't suppose you'll be here, tomorrow?" Mimir asked. Hoping to spend another afternoon with the fascinating and cunning child he'd teamed up with. And to make a little more money on the side, of course.

"Only if I see some winners in my dreams! Bye Mimir!" Atreus shoved a handful of money into his backpack and waved good-bye to Mimir.

Returning to his house later than usual, Atreus came home to the disapproving scowl of his father, Kratos.

"You are late."

"Sorry father, I was studying at my friend's house." Atreus came up with a plausible excuse, since he had done such a thing in the past.

"You should have told me."

"It won't happen again." Atreus promised and placed his backpack on a chair in the kitchen, while he went to get some snacks.

Not one to invade his son's privacy or to doubt that he had indeed completed his homework, Kratos' eyes couldn't help but be drawn to a piece of paper stuck in the zipper of Atreus' back pack. Opening it slightly, the zipper revealed, not one banknote, but several. An amount Kratos knew could never add up to Atreus' allowance.

When Atreus returned to the table with a plate of cookies and a glass of milk, his father also had something in his hand; the betting money he had carelessly left out in the open.

"What…is this?"

"My allowance?" Atreus tried. Despite knowing his father would not buy it. Remaining silent until Atreus spoke the truth, Atreus told him about his vision.

"I was in class listening to the teacher talk about horses and then I saw these names and horses and money and I figured I should… bet on them."

"We are not wanting for money, boy. I provide for the both of us."

"I know! But what if there was a great flood and the whole neighbourhood got flooded?" Atreus posed a hypothetical question, to deflect attention away from himself.

"Unlikely. But if you must go there, I will pick you up after work if I finish early, like tomorrow for instance." Kratos answered with an open-mindedness that surprised Atreus.

No stranger to his late wife's premonitions, Kratos understood that if Atreus witnessed something it was usually for a good reason. And in knowing that his wife would want him to grant Atreus some freedom, Kratos remained unopposed to his son's errand. Even if he didn't like it.

"Thank you, father!" Atreus beamed, upon hearing the news, making Kratos let out a disapproving grumble.

* * *

After reading Neil Gaiman's 'Norse Mythology' I decided to embrace its wackiness and thought about Sleipnir and Atreus turning into a horse. Then it occurred to me that in a modern AU, if Atreus was clairvoyant he could use it at a racetrack to bet on the horses and buy things for the people he loves.


	2. Faye's Secret

That night, Atreus laid in his bed, hoping that another vision would come to him in his dreams.

He had more than enough money at the race tracks to buy Angrboda some jewellery and almost enough to buy the game console he wanted for Christmas early. But thinking back to the evening's conversation, Atreus considered his father. After his mother had passed, the responsibility of making a living for both of them, fell solely on him. Did his father want a gift? Or would he dislike the attention? That was something he would have to figure out.

With events already set in motion, that had yet to run their course, another vision revealed itself to Atreus. Four more names, disappearing one by one, the colour yellow and a raging fire. Only one of these things had a clear meaning. He would not be receiving any more names. The rest were far too vague, nothing for him to worry about.

"Who's the last one on the list?"

"Morning Spring. That's a nice name." Atreus read from his journal and remarked, admiring the name of the horse themed after the breezy season.

"Fun fact about Morning Spring, her father was the famous race horse Summer Dream, the horse with highest number of wins on this track in 2005." Mimir commented on the horse they were about to bet on. As they had gone done the list, ticking off the horse's names one by one, the man would at times, recall some relevant trivia. Seeming like a well of knowledge of random information.

"You sure know a lot of facts."

"Being a librarian for 30 years, taught me a thing or two about current events." Mimir said, proud of the long-standing career he'd had working in a place of knowledge.

"You were a librarian? Cool." Atreus noted. Pleased to know that a love of books was something they had in common.

"It was, lad. When I wasn't sorting books, I would archive newspapers. I still do in fact, with my private collection of newspapers at home. But enough about that."

As they waited in line for their turn in the betting office, Atreus heard the sound of complaints and the shuffling of people behind them. The cause of the commotion being, a tipsy man covered in tattoos, underneath his grubby white tank top.

"Get a move on! I haven't got all day." The impatient man complained, making Atreus urge Mimir to complete their betting strip quickly.

Once the race was done and the time came to collect their winnings, Atreus took the time to think about his visions. They had always been an interesting perk and though these particular ones would not repeat themselves, Atreus couldn't help but count his blessings.

"I can't believe this happened."

"I can't believe it either. You're a natural at this. I seem to have no luck." Mimir agreed, giving Atreus a pat on the back.

Hearing about Mimir and Atreus' good fortune from his position in the line nearby, the tattooed man felt emboldened. If a kid could make some bets and win, then so could he. But having such high expectations from the words of strangers would prove to be his undoing.

Celebrating the last win they would ever share together, Mimir and Atreus sat at a table in the establishment's lounge and ate from a plate of chips.

Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Atreus took his phone out and read the text he'd received.

"I'll be here to pick you up in five minutes." The text read. With such a short amount of time left until he'd be arriving, Atreus smiled that his father made the effort to tell him.

Replying to the text with: "We'll be in the lounge." Atreus put his phone back in his pocket and continued eating.

"Any plans with the riches you've gained?" Mimir asked, curious to hear what Atreus had come up with.

"I want to buy a pendant for a girl at my school." Atreus said, looking down at the plate with embarrassment. A matter of the heart. Mimir thought. Luckily, he had experience with that and a recommendation for the jewellery.

"I know just the place. I bought a necklace for my dear girlfriend Sigrun, in a little store not far from here. She left me without saying a word, but at least I know she appreciated the necklace."

Atreus laughed at Mimir's good humoured way of seeing things, when the tattooed stranger approached and slammed his hands on their table.

" _You_! This is all _your_ fault! I watched you win, so I thought I could win too and I lost most of my money!" The stranger yelled and pointed his finger at Atreus and Mimir. His posture lunging towards them, itching to start a fight.

"We're not responsible for what _you_ believe!" Atreus hissed, rejecting the flawed thinking that they were accountable for any bad decisions the man had made. Fingers balled into a fist, the stranger pulled his arm back and tried to initiate a punch, when a stronger arm pulled him by the bicep and twisted his arm into a lock, pressed against his back.

"Stay… away from my son." Kratos warned and slammed the man's face against the table. Smearing ketchup on his face from the nearby plate.

"Boy, come. We are leaving this place." Kratos announced, as the stranger dashed away. Fearing that Atreus would be punished, Mimir put in a good word and suggested an alternative.

"Sir, if I may. I'm archiving my collection of newspapers and could use a helping hand. I can inform the boy's school and he can receive extra credit."

"Very well." Kratos agreed, without argument and allowed Mimir to lead the way.

Out on the streets, Mimir lead Kratos and Atreus where he had parked his car. A sleek, four-seater, yellow sports car that looked like it couldn't be more than a few years old. Almost brand new.

"Mimir, I thought you said you had no luck with gambling." Atreus challenged Mimir's previous statements, marvelling the car Mimir had splurged on.

"It's true, but the few times that I did, I saved up and bought this beauty. You can sit on the front seat if you'd like." Mimir offered, until Kratos took out his car keys and went in the direction of his own car. "Or go with your old man. Even better." Mimir added, when he realized that Kratos had arrived with his own car.

After driving to the outskirts of the city, they arrived at Mimir's house and he invited them to his basement. Inside were many boxes, stacks, bookshelves and bags carrying newspapers, some old chairs and a leather armchair placed underneath one of the lightbulbs illuminating the room.

Tracing a line with his fingers on a bookshelf with a thin layer of dust, Kratos made sure that his assessment of the room's cleanliness did not go unnoticed.

"This place could use some cleaning."

"Are you volunteering?" Mimir interpreted Kratos' remark as an offer of his services, earning a low growl in return.

"I'll take that as a no."

Delegating the heavy lifting to Kratos, Mimir placed some empty boxes near the bags Kratos had placed down for Atreus to sort and gave him some instructions.

"How about you stack the newspapers from those bags in chronological order?"

"OK."

Taking two mismatched chairs from their hiding place behind boxes of newspapers, Kratos brought them back for he and Atreus to sit on.

Placing a handful of newspapers on his lap, Kratos saw many different headlines as he read their date. Some more mundane such as shop closures and the weather and others more intriguing like fraudulent treasure hunters. One of which Atreus was reading, but the newspaper in question held much more than intrigue.

"Mimir, who's that? She kind of looks like my mother." Atreus brought the newspaper over to Mimir and asked, after he noticed a photograph of a woman amongst thousands with a passing resemblance of his mother.

"That's Faye Nalson. Although she was mostly a peaceful activist who protested against gun violence, someone from her group tried to burn down a store. No one was hurt, but she never protested again."

Hearing his wife's first name, Kratos joined them and saw the familiar words of his wife's maiden name and the familiar year of the time they first met. Memories of Faye came flooding back to him, but the only words he could utter were ones of regret.

"She never told me of this."

"Perhaps she did not want you to think any less of her." Mimir reassured Kratos. From the time they had begun a relationship, Faye and Kratos had always been open with each other. Never fearing to share great burdens with each other. Knowing that he had not been able to help her heal from this burden, filled Kratos with deep sorrow.

"I could never do that." Kratos said with more composure than before, drawing from his respect and love for Faye to give him strength.

"That's good to hear. Your wife's actions were noble, you should be very proud of her." Mimir praised Faye's efforts to protest against the needless loss of life.

"I am."

Atreus saw a ghost of a smile on his father's face, as he said it. Making Atreus feel thankful that in listening to his visions, he had brought a little joy into their lives.

* * *

 **This chapter's a bit more serious because of the events that had to happen, but the next chapter will be happier to balance things out.**


	3. Eclipse of the heart

Following Mimir's directions, Atreus travelled to a quiet part of the city and found the jewellery store he had recommended, Sindri's Treasure Trove.

Inside the store, a man of short stature, hair combed back into a pony tail, vigorously scrubbed the glass display cases with a glass cloth.

"Don't touch that, I just cleaned it!" Sindri exclaimed, his hand reaching out as if to stop Atreus from putting his fingers on the glass, when he had made no attempt to do so.

"I wasn't going to."

"I mean… welcome to my store! How can I help you, today?" Sindri inquired, quickly changing his focus from cleaning to attending to his customer.

"Do you make custom jewellery?" Atreus asked.

"I sure do. What did you have in mind?"

"Uh… A jade stone with the letter a carved in it." Atreus listed what he thought Angrboda would like. A vibrant green stone to contrast with her ginger hair and the initial of her name for a personal touch.

"What type of chain will you be wanting? There's some nice ones here." Sindri asked Atreus for his preference of chain and gestured towards examples of necklaces from the spotless glass cases. Finding one he liked, Atreus pointed to a sturdy, interconnected silver chain.

"A curb chain. An excellent choice." Sindri complimented Atreus on his taste.

"Can you engrave the letter in gold, too?" Atreus asked. The gold necklaces in the display, giving him the idea to ask for a shiny embellishment that would make the letter easier to see.

"Yes, I can. Any particular shape for the stone? I can shape it into squares, ovals—"

"A tear drop!" Atreus blurted out. A tear drop, reminiscent of soothing drops of rain would make an ideal gift for Angrboda.

"That'll be seventy five dollars." Sindri calculated, as Atreus took off his backpack and rummaged through it to find the bank notes. He really should buy a wallet one of these days.

"Just so you know, I require payment upfront. How will you be paying for this?" Sindri added. By the looks of things, it would be cash. Probably crawling with germs.

"Cash." Atreus answered and placed the exact amount due in bank notes, albeit a little crumpled, on the counter.

"I don't know where that's been, but thanks." Sindri thanked Atreus and pinched the notes with the tips of his fingers as if they were a dirty sock and placed them in the cash register.

"I can get this done in one day. You can pick it up tomorrow if you'd like." Sindri gave Atreus an estimate. Just the kind of news Atreus wanted to hear.

"Yes! That'll be just in time for her birthday." Atreus cheered, glad to hear that everything was going smoothly.

"Whose birthday?" Sindri asked, unable to resist asking who the gift was intended for. Despite his attentiveness to keeping things clean and fearing the germs they carried. Sindri always loved hearing from his customers about how their day was going or any stories behind the jewellery they chose.

"A girl at school."

"Don't go anywhere!" Sindri said. Rushing to the cash register and taking a ten dollar note out of the register and giving it to Atreus.

"What's this for?" Atreus asked, wondering why Sindri was giving him his money back.

"To buy her flowers. I appreciated the sentiment, consider it a discount." Sindri replied with a sheepish smile. Atreus seemed young to Sindri. The girl he was buying flowers for, would most likely be his first date. Moved by Atreus buying her a present, Sindri wanted him to make a good impression, so he gladly took some money off his payment.

"Thanks. See you tomorrow!" Atreus thanked Sindri and waved him good-bye as he left the store.

With his first objective completed, Atreus took the bus to a shopping centre and bought an item he'd been coveting for half of the year; a Wii console and the latest Legend of Zelda game. Game in his backpack and heavy box in hand, Atreus was thankful that the bus he was taking went directly to a stop a block away from his house. If not, his muscles would surely have been given a workout.

After a short trip, Atreus arrived home and knocked on the door with his elbow since his hands were full. Impatiently refusing place the box down before knocking.

"You've been busy." Kratos noted, when he noticed the package in his son's arms after opening the door.

"Yeah…" Atreus said, feeling a little self-conscious. After all, it wasn't everyday that he came home from school carrying the fruits of his very profitable labour.

"Put it in the living room. I've made dinner."

"Yes, sir!" Atreus chirped and ran inside the house. Taking off his school uniform, Atreus ignored the small mustard stain on the shirt hanging from the chair in his room and changed to his home clothes.

Taking a seat at the kitchen table, Atreus dug into the plate of delectable looking lamb chops and mashed potatoes. His appetite ravenous after a long and busy day of learning and carrying heavy game consoles. Dinner was usually a time reserved for eating and making conversation about what had happened at school. That night, Atreus' sole priority was filling up his stomach. Content with watching his son appreciate the dinner he'd cooked, Kratos enjoyed his meal quietly. Until finally, Atreus broke the silence.

"Today I found out a solar eclipse is going to be visible next week in science class. Can we go see it?"

"Why do you want to see the moon obscuring the sun?" Kratos asked, failing to see why his son would want to see a celestial object blotting out the sun.

"Because I've never seen an eclipse before and I want to do something special…" Atreus said, words trailing off. The pleading in his voice stirring Kratos' compassion and reminding him that if something mattered to his son, then he should strive to fulfil it.

"What time will it be taking place?"

"Oh, I forgot that part." Atreus admitted, after remembering that he'd stopped paying attention to the little details during that time.

"You can tell me later." Kratos assured him, as he cleared both their plates from the table.

—

On the day of Angrboda's birthday, all Atreus could think about was giving her his present. His gut filled with a nervous buzz, the challenge of math equations seemed like nothing when his own anticipation was bent on consuming him. Eventually, his torment came to an end and the final period of the day was over.

Approaching Angrboda at her locker, Atreus pulled out a black box containing the pendant from behind his back and offered it to her.

"Angrboda. I heard it was your birthday. This is for you."

Flipping open the box, Angrboda took a moment to take in the sight of the exquisite pendant that lay before her.

"No one's ever given me something like this before. It's beautiful." Angrboda savoured the present Atreus had given to her.

"You were so helpful and nice to me. I wanted to give you in something in return."

"Thank you, Atreus. It means a lot." Angrboda hugged Atreus' shoulder with her free arm, as she held the box in her other hand.

Heading out of the school's corridors, Angrboda waved goodbye to Atreus. Not moving from his spot to cherish the memory as it lingered in his mind, the lovestruck Atreus' reverie was broken by the imposing voice of Magni, a student three grades above him.

"Hey, freak! You think a girl like her, would like someone as pathetic as you?"

"I feel sorry for you, if you do." Magni's brother, Modi sneered at Atreus. Adding on to Magni's insult, like a hunting dog assisting his owner. It was all that Atreus could tolerate.

"Shut up! Don't talk to me like that!"

"You hear that Modi? The little runt's got something to say. Maybe he should go home and cry to mommy about it!" Magni mocked Atreus and laughed about him with his brother, like two idiots. Feeling the rage rising inside him, Atreus diverted his attention to calming his anger. Focus Atreus! Don't let them rile you up.

But the anger was almost too strong to quell. Thoughts turning to his father, Atreus wondered what he would do. Gifted with powerful muscles. Kratos had it in him to win any fight he picked, but he also exercised restraint. He took control of his anger before it got the better of him. Choosing to get involved with these brothers would not be a wise decision.

Deciding that the fight would end with words instead of fists, Atreus cursed under his breath and walked away.

—

That afternoon, Atreus took refuge in his game. Playing for more than an hour without taking breaks to eat and getting upset over minor setbacks.

From his vantage point in the kitchen, Kratos saw that Atreus seemed to stalling in one area. Smashing objects in the game indiscriminately. Suspecting that Atreus' frustrations stemmed from something more than just the game, Kratos observed what was happening on the screen in the search for answers.

"I may not know much about games, but I don't think the quest is to smash pottery so excessively."

"You just don't get it!" Atreus snapped at Kratos' pointless insight and faced away from him. Anything to get him off his case. As his thoughts raced, trying to figure out what he would say next to cover up what he was truly feeling, Kratos asked Atreus what was really going on.

"Then _tell_ me what it's about."

Placing the controller down, Atreus looked at the face of his father who was ready to listen to him and told him, "I gave Angrboda a birthday present and then Magni and Modi talked to me like I wasn't even worthy of talking to her."

Seeing Atreus quickly wipe his nose on his sleeve and blinking rapidly, Kratos could tell that he was on the verge of tears. As far as he knew, two boys had taken it upon themselves to upset his son. He frowned at the thought and took a moment to think, before comforting Atreus.

"They have never gotten to know you. Their shallow opinions hold no value."

"But what if they were right?" Atreus contested what his father had just told him, falling into the trap of believing their hurtful words.

"How did the girl react?"

"What? Uh… she was really happy I got something for her." Atreus answered, surprised by the sudden change in topic.

"Then you have made someone happy. If they cannot see your worth, then they are blind."

"Thank you, father." Atreus smiled, when he heard his father's encouraging words.

—

That night, as Kratos lay in his bed, thoughts of Atreus being tormented kept him from slumber. He had been able to repair Atreus' self-worth this time, but what more scathing words from bullies would Atreus have to endure? It was a question that stayed with him, until he finally fell asleep.

In his dream, Kratos was transported to a snowy field. Lit by the radiant rays of the sun, around the moon that obscured it. Ahead of him, the silhouette of Atreus made whole stood in the snow, at the mercy of two shadow wolves prowling towards him.

"Father, help me!"

Kratos heard the voice of Atreus crying out for help. But the dream would not allow Kratos to run to him. The sun had reached the end of its life and grew brighter and bigger until it enveloped everything, ending the dream with a searing flash of light. Whatever perception of the dream Kratos held was gone.

Squinting his eyes to rid the bleariness from his vision after waking up, memories of the nightmare from the night before returned to Kratos. Helpless to save his son from peril, the world around him in the process of being wiped out, Kratos felt relieved that it only belonged in the world of dreams.

Getting out of his bed, Kratos got changed and put on a brown sweater when he felt the morning's chill. A pity it could not soothe the heaviness in his eyes from the troublesome sleep, Kratos thought to himself.

When Kratos entered the kitchen, what he saw was far from what he was expecting. Atreus had not slept in like he always did on a Saturday and was seated at the table still dressed in his pyjamas, eating pancakes. How long had he been asleep?

"Father, are you OK? I waited for you for a long time, but you didn't come out."

"I did not rest well last night." Kratos answered honestly and stared at the clock in the kitchen.

"So you had to sleep it off until noon?" Atreus asked, with a very deliberately worded question. But the boy was right. He had slept for too long.

"…Yes."

"I got bored of waiting for you, do you want some pancakes?" Atreus quickly changed the subject and offered Kratos what he had made in his absence.

Sitting down at the kitchen table, Kratos placed a pancake on the plate Atreus had set out for him. Neither under cooked, nor burnt, in a well-rounded shape, Kratos took a bite and praised Atreus' work.

"It is well made." Kratos said, making Atreus smile.

Still feeling weary, Kratos closed his eyes a little longer than a blink, in an effort to stave off his fatigue. An effort that Atreus had picked up on.

Knowing that his father held a passing interest in watching the game he played, whenever he could. Atreus offered him a way he could stay alert.

"If you want to take it easy today, you can sit with me and watch me play my game."

"I would like that." Kratos accepted his son's offer and the two spent a while in each other's company, talking about the game, until Kratos no longer felt tired.

* * *

 **It was a challenge choosing how a Ragnarok Easter Egg could symbolically happen and how the story would end, but I hope you guys liked the result.**


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